Spotlighting; A Deer Dilemma

A very disturbing thing has been happening in the local area where I live. In the past several weeks some members of my family has been finding dead deer lying out in their fields. One might think this may be because of some disease, but that is not the case. What has been killing the deer has been man. How do we know? The deer were missing their heads.

For many years, farmers have had problems with people who liked to "spotlight" deer from their vehicles. Most of the time they just liked seeing where the deer were, but there were others who wanted to do more than just look. As a light hits a deer, the deer will freeze in response. They do not know where the light is coming from or what to do and they are basically blinded. So, they just stand there. They become an easy target to those who just like to have a nice round of target practice.

When I was growing up we had problems with people who liked to spotlight at least once or twice a week. Some liked to kill them just to see them drop, and then there were others who would kill, then try to make it back around to cut off the head. They wanted the trophy for their walls. My horses were kept in a barn right out from where all this would take place. We became too afraid to leave them out at night because someone might mistake their eyes for being a deer. The horses would become tense at night. After all, who wouldn't be if you had shooting and different vehicles driving all around where you were being kept.

Anyway, time passed and we thought the worse of the offenders had moved on. Now, it seems there are another round of people who have taken up this practice. One of the people that were caught was a 14-year-old boy. He had walked down the road around midnight just to spotlight the deer. He was caught by one of my older cousins. She had seen him walking down the road and he knew what he was doing was wrong because every time a car would come along, he would shut off his flashlight, and turn it on again when it was gone. When she caught him, he had more than a flashlight; he carried a shotgun. You would think that a discussion with the parents would be helpful wouldn't you? It hasn't. In fact, the father has been caught doing the same practice many, many times. The game warden knows them on a first name basis.

Spotlighting deer is not a form of hunting, but many people think that it is. I think it gives people who actually hunt a bad name. I think hunting should be for the people who will actually use the animal for food - not as a sport. I know I am a minority on this stand, but my father always hunted and ate what he killed. I know many people who just hunt to kill something and then they call it a sport. Spotlighting has taken many deer lives and it is a huge injustice. The deer do not stand a chance. It is especially horrible for a child to find a headless deer corpse in the family hayfield. That is what happened last week to a member of my family. Another horrible act is that there are parents out there who are teaching their children how to do this, or doing the act themselves. You teach others by your own actions.

I wish I knew the answers on how to stop this crime.  Most states vary by law, but some consider this is "wildlife harassment." A few states consider it unlawful to spotlight deer with the possession of a firearm. Others consider it unlawful altogether. Keep in mind that this problem isn't just limited to the deer population, spotlighting can be used on most any nocturnal animal. One example is of the movie, Crocodile Dundee, starring Paul Hogan. He helped put a stop to the people who were spotlighting and killing kangaroos.  

I think this is a subject that goes unnoticed by many. If you do not live in an area that is home to deer, you may not realize that practices like this even exist. I'm hoping that if more people become aware, then more may be done to help put a stop to it.